Debt Collectors

Neil_948

Can anyone please tell me why it is legal for debt collectors to use mobile phone numbers to ring people as at the end of the day these could be peoples private mobiles that they are calling from which if that is the case then this would strictly violate the data protection act.

The companies that are currently doing this are:-

Allied International & C.A.R.S.

MrsTinks

You've lost me... why would it not be legal for them to use a mobile phone to call you? Or are you saying they shouldn't call your mobile phone if you owe them money?

If you as a person owe them money and have provided a contact number to them they can use this right up until you state in writing that you only wish to correspond in writing and for them to cease contacting you by phone or other means.

chanz4

thats like saying calling you at all on any number, thats why their is security questions

Neil_948

I'm saying that a legitimate company should not be able to use mobile phone numbers to call it's client's/customers.

Of cause a company can call any number that they have to contact client's/customers but surely this should be done from a fixed landline number registered to them.

Neil_948

MrsTine wrote: »

You've lost me... why would it not be legal for them to use a mobile phone to call you? Or are you saying they shouldn't call your mobile phone if you owe them money?

If you as a person owe them money and have provided a contact number to them they can use this right up until you state in writing that you only wish to correspond in writing and for them to cease contacting you by phone or other means.

I have already done this with an offer of repayment from a letter provided to me by CCCS but both companies have failed to respond.

pennylane99

Neil_948 wrote: »

I'm saying that a legitimate company should not be able to use mobile phone numbers to call it's client's/customers.

Of cause a company can call any number that they have to contact client's/customers but surely this should be done from a fixed landline number registered to them.

I would guess that most of them are field agents, not based in the main office, hence call from mobiles. What is wrong with that.
You saying they should use their home landline

erdd2

Spot on Penny.

Neil can you elaborate on why you disagree with the use of mobiles to call clients

MoneyWasting_Expert

Dont actually understand the opening post in full. I know Apex call from a call centre via mobile numbers. For me this as been very benficial. Anytime I phone Apex, I phone them on my iPhone and because there mobile numbers I dont get charged a penny as the minutes are taken out my minutes allowance. Which is just as well because a made a 19 minute call recently to them. All my other creditors seem to operate over the mobile networks with reminder sms and the likes when payment is due.

jadex

I think OP means that they (agents) could phone from their private mobile phones.
So in effect your personal mobile number given to the Company ended up stored in someone's private phone.
If you give consent to process your personal data to the Company it means literally to the Company - all your personal data should be kept on Company's servers, database, etc.
No agent is allowed to copy your mobile phone number from Company's database to his/her private mobile phone to be able to call you whenewer he/she wishes (that's what I understand OP comes with).
Surely people who work as teleoperators for say HSBC do not wander around with customer's details. You finish your shift, leave the building and you are not allowed to take any data with you to the outside world.

Gordon_Hose

If that's the case, how do field sales reps and field engineers call their customers on the move if they can't take the numbers from the company database?

jadex

Gordon_Hose wrote: »

If that's the case, how do field sales reps and field engineers call their customers on the move if they can't take the numbers from the company database?

they use company mobiles